Xodiac-B LOX-RP Suborbital VTVL Rocket

Astrobotic will design, build, test, and demonstrate a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL) rocket testbed for flight testing rotating detonation rocket engines. The proposed testbed, Xodiac-B, will leverage the design of Astrobotic's flight-proven Xodiac vehicle with modifications made to switch the vehicle's propellant combination from liquid oxygen and isopropyl alcohol to liquid oxygen and kerosene. This propellant switch will fill a known capability gap for flight testing LOX/kerosene rocket engines, including RDREs, in the 1,000-lbf thrust class. Under this Phase II effort, Astrobotic will complete design, procure, and fabricate most of the Xodiac-B vehicle, with a focus on its fuel tanks and propulsion system. At the conclusion of this Phase II effort, Astrobotic will perform a static fire of the Xodiac-B test article, demonstrating readiness for system closeout and flight operations in a follow-on Phase III program. The planned follow-on Phase III program will rapidly advance the fully integrated Xodiac-B vehicle to flight readiness and conduct a series of envelope expansion flights as part of a flight test campaign to qualify the vehicle for flight operations and validate a Government-furnished RDRE in a relevant flight environment.